Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Simple Hen Tinga Recipe

Bursting with chili and adobo flavors, sweetened with agave syrup, and simmered to perfection, this rooster tinga recipe is impressed by the standard Mexican dish. Able to take pleasure in in underneath an hour, it’s a tasty topping for tacos, tostadas, salads, and extra.

Chicken Tinga in a bowl.

Substances Wanted

  • Hen breasts: Boneless, skinless rooster breasts are simply shredded and prepare dinner up evenly on the stovetop. I choose utilizing rooster breasts on this recipe, however be happy to sub for boneless, skinless rooster thighs.
  • Seasonings: A mix of garlic powder, salt, and pepper add taste.
  • Hen broth: What the rooster simmers wherein creates extremely tender, melt-in-your mouth shredded rooster.
  • Tomatoes: It’s not rooster tinga with out tomatoes! Quarter them and simmer with the rooster for final taste infusion.
  • Garlic and yellow onion: For taste.
  • Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: The bottom of the rooster tinga sauce and what provides this recipe that traditional taste.
  • Agave syrup: Offsets the spice and provides a welcome sweetness to the sauce. As a substitute of agave, honey works simply as nicely.

Find out how to Make This Hen Tinga Recipe

Prep the rooster breasts with spices and sear in a big skillet for 3-4 minutes on either side or till golden brown. Put aside.

Deglaze the identical skillet with a splash of rooster broth and scrape any brown bits away. Add the onion and prepare dinner for two minutes, adopted by the garlic and quartered tomatoes. Sauté for one more 3-4 minutes till the tomatoes are fragrant and barely tender.

Place the seared rooster breasts again into the identical skillet and nestle them into the tomato and onion combination. Pour within the remaining rooster broth and produce all of it to a boil. As soon as boiling, scale back the warmth, cowl the pan, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Take away the rooster from the skillet.

Switch the tomatoes to a plate or reducing board and punctiliously take away (and discard) the skins. Place the peeled tomatoes right into a high-speed blender together with the onions (use a slotted spoon to switch). Add 1⁄4 cup of the cooking liquid from the skillet, in addition to the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, agave, and ¼ cup of water. Mix till fully easy – this may take a minute or two, nevertheless it’s price it to get that good consistency!

Discard any extra liquid that’s within the skillet and add the cooked rooster again into the pan. Use two forks to shred – it ought to be extremely straightforward to drag it aside. Pour the sauce and remaining water over the rooster and stir to mix. Deliver the combination to a boil over medium/excessive warmth. As soon as boiling, scale back to a simmer for quarter-hour (this could simmer longer, you might want to sometimes add a splash of water to maintain issues saucy).

The serving choices are actually limitless – one thing I like about this recipe! Do that rooster tinga as a filling or topping in any of your favourite Mexican recipes.

Three chicken tacos on a white plate.

attempt it!

Hen Tinga Tacos

Serve this rooster tinga on our scrumptious rooster tinga tacos.

Suggestions for the Greatest Tinga

Chicken tinga ingredients in a blender.

Do-it-yourself rooster tinga is wildly versatile and goes nicely in tacos, over nachos, in burrito bowls, on tostadas or salads, and even combined into an egg scramble.

Tinga toppings: diced avocado, avocado crema (like in these sheet pan tacos), salsa verde, contemporary guacamole, cotija cheese, pickled onions, cilantro, lime crema, crushed tortilla chips, pickled jalapeños, bitter cream… you get the concept!

Chicken tinga in a cast iron skillet.

This can be a fantastic meal-prep possibility for busy weeks! As soon as the rooster tinga has fully cooled, switch to an hermetic container and refrigerate for as much as 5 days. Or, retailer in particular person containers for straightforward lunches on-the-go.

Chicken tinga in a bowl.
Do you advocate a particular model of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?

I like utilizing these La Morena canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – they supply that traditional tinga taste. For those who can’t discover this particular model, any canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce will do.

How can I make rooster tinga much less spicy or modify the warmth degree?

This recipe is completely customizable to your preferences! For much less spicy tinga, add extra agave. For spicier sauce, add extra chipotle peppers. For those who discover it’s too spicy when it’s time to serve, combine in a dollop of Greek yogurt or cream to chop the spice.

  • Season the rooster breasts with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and put aside.

  • Warmth a big pot over medium/excessive warmth. Add olive oil. When the olive oil is aromatic and scorching, add the rooster breasts and sear them on either side for 3-4 minutes or till golden brown. Take away the rooster breasts and put aside.

  • Deglaze the pot with 2 tablespoons of rooster broth. Scrape the underside of the pot with a wood spoon to take away any brown bits.

  • Add the onion to the pot and sauté for two minutes after which add the garlic and the quartered tomatoes. Sauté for an extra 3-4 minutes.

  • Subsequent add the rooster breasts again into the pot and pour the remainder of the rooster broth into the pot. Stir the combination and produce to a boil.

  • Flip the warmth to low and canopy. Simmer all of the elements collectively for 20 minutes.

  • After 20 minutes, take away the rooster breasts from the pot and set them apart to chill.

  • Take away the tomatoes from the pot after which rigorously take away the tomato skins from the tomatoes. You should utilize a fork so that you don’t burn your self. Discard the tomato skins and switch the tomatoes right into a excessive pace blender.

  • Use a slotted spoon to take away the onions from the pot and place them within the blender, too. Add 1⁄4 cup of the cooking liquid from the pot, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, honey, and ¼ cup of water to the blender. Mix on excessive till fully easy. Style the sauce, it will likely be spicy. If you need it spicier, add ⅓ cup extra of chipotle peppers. If you need it much less spicy add 1-2 tablespoons extra of sweetener. Mix the sauce once more and put aside.

  • Discard any extra liquid that’s within the pot and place the rooster again into the pot. Shred the rooster with two forks.

  • Pour the sauce from the blender over the rooster and stir to mix. Add the final ¼ cup of water to the sauce and produce the combination to a boil over medium/excessive warmth.

  • Flip the warmth to low and permit the combination to simmer and prepare dinner down for quarter-hour.

  • Take away from warmth and serve in tacos, over nachos, or in a burrito bowl.

  • Spiciness: Conventional rooster tinga is spicy and so is that this recipe! If you don’t like spice, add a bit extra agave and serve with crema or Greek yogurt.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”9S36SVBE” upload-date=”2022-04-15T00:00:00.000Z” name=”Chicken Tinga Recipe” description=”This chicken tinga recipe is packed with amazing chili and adobo flavors, and ready to enjoy in under an hour. Serve on tacos, tostadas, salads and more!”]

Energy: 201 kcal, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Protein: 26 g, Fats: 6 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 5 g

Vitamin data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

Images by: The Wood Skillet

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